Cavaliers vs Warriors (Photo : Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers will visit the Oracle Arena on Christmas Day to face the Golden State Warriors in their most-awaited rematch of the NBA Finals.
The Cavs, currently atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 19-7 record, will look to avenge their NBA Finals loss against the Warriors back in June with Lebron James leading the charge.
Cleveland has won seven of their last 10 games and are now on a six-game winning streak after defeating the New York Knicks 91-84 on Wednesday.
James was stoic ahead of their showdown against the defending champs, saying that the game would just be another regular season match but only against the Warriors.
"The memories will come back as soon as we walk into the building," James said, reports ESPN.
"But also understand that it's one of 82, and I'm not going to put everything into this game."
However, for Cavs forward Iman Shumpert, their first game against the Warriors since losing the championship in six games will be a vengeance on his mind.
"But we're going to come out and approach the game like we approach all games. But, I'm salty. I am," Shumpert revealed.
Unlike the NBA Finals series earlier this year, the Cavs will have help from All-Stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
Love missed the finals action after suffering a shoulder injury when the Cavs faced the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
On the other hand, Irving only played in Game 1 of the series after fracturing his knee cap in the closing minutes of the game.
Fans and pundits, including the Cavs themselves, believe it could have been a different outcome had Irving and Love were healthy. Now they have the chance to prove it as they go full force against the Warriors.
The Dubs just had their winning streak ended by the Milwaukee Bucks, but the defending champs immediately went back to their winning ways, defeating the Phoenix Suns, Bucks, and the Utah Jazz.
The Warriors will also have reinforcement come Christmas Day as Harrison Barnes is expected to return from an ankle injury just in time for their match against the Cavs, according to Marc J Spears of Yahoo Sports as cited by CBS Sports.
Barnes, who has not played in the Warriors' last 11 games, was an integral part of the team's championship run. He averaged 12.4 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field before getting sidelined.
According to Shark Odds, Bet Online has the Warriors as the favorite to win, with the defending champs at -300, while the Cavs are +250.
Watch the Cavs vs Warriors Christmas game live via NBA league pass.
